eos has a flair for natural and safe ingredients while also being sustainably focussed (hell yes!) but is the brand cruelty-free and vegan?
eos is cruelty-free. It doesn't conduct animal testing on its products, nor does it distribute its cosmetics where animal testing is required by law. eos does offer a range of vegan cosmetics, but it is not considered a vegan brand.
Jonathan Teller founded eos in 2009. He wanted to create a brand that took our beauty experience to the next level from the get-go. His vision was to make everyday makeup moments into wonderful, sensory experiences.
Endearingly, he focussed on doing this in a 100% cruelty-free way while offering a wide range of vegan products (the only animal derivative used in the other products is beeswax).
He also ensured that eos had a strong sustainability focus from the start. Pretty impressive for a company selling 2 million units a week by 2017.
Before deciding on what to buy, here's what you need to know about eos's current animal testing policies, vegan ranges, formulation, and sustainability.
Is eos Cruelty-Free and Vegan?
eos is 100% Cruelty-Free
It does not:
eos has a solid cruelty-free message, and it shows. It is Leaping Bunny accredited – the only internationally recognized certification that guarantees a brand is cruelty-free.
This brings us to our next point:
eos is Not Vegan
Although the brand is not entirely vegan, eos has a reasonable range of vegan products from which to choose. All of their lotions and shaving creams are 100% vegan-friendly.
Unfortunately, none of the lip balms they currently make are vegan as they contain one key animal-derived ingredient, beeswax.
If you’re an investigative consumer – you’re probably wondering why we haven’t listed squalene here since it is an ingredient that eos uses?
Well spotted! But you don’t have to worry. eos ensures that it only sources 100% plant-based squalene for its products.
Squalene is an excellent ingredient because it mimics your skin's natural oils. It's also packed with antioxidants and is non-comedogenic.
If you're interested in which products are vegan or finding vegan brand alternatives – keep reading or click on this link: eos vegan products.
Animal Testing Policy and History
eos has a sterling track record. It’s been cruelty-free since its inception and is currently certified by Leaping Bunny and PETA.
There is no doubt about where this brand stands regarding the importance of animal rights.
Cruelty-Free Status in 2021
Here is a screenshot of eos's official statement regarding its cruelty-free policies and vegan products, taken from its website:
Certification
eos is Leaping Bunny and PETA certified.
While you might know PETA very well – it surprisingly doesn't hold the strictest cruelty-free regulations out there. It seems to only require a brand's written consent that abides by the PETA code of conduct.
Certification from Leaping Bunny is ideal because it holds rigorous standards and does regular audits to ensure they are upheld.
Leaping Bunny certification proves that:
Any other form of testing (beyond ingredient and consumer safety), such as worker safety and environmental health, are considered and evaluated.
If you see a bunny stamp at the back of your product bottle – that's an excellent sign. But don't be fooled by the image itself. A lot of brands are using fake logos to mislead consumers.
Do your homework and see which products are genuinely cruelty-free first. This article will help you: Which Cruelty-Free Logos Can You Trust?
Is eos Sold Where Animal Testing is Required By Law?
eos does not distribute any of its products to China or any country that requires animal testing on any cosmetics by law.
China has a shocking track record. It is the country with the most amount of animal testing globally, with over 20 million animals used per year.
However, if you live in China or are concerned about its cruel beauty policies, there are a couple of loopholes to be aware of. Here's how to find cruelty-free cosmetics in China: Are Cosmetics Made in China Cruelty-Free?
What eos Products Are Vegan?
eos has a few great vegan products – so you’re in luck!
Unfortunately, their claim-to-fame lip balms are not vegan as they all contain beeswax (Cera alba).
So if you’re here to see if any of those spherical lip balms could be your new vegan cherry Chapstick – unfortunately, they can’t.
eos did release a vegan lip balm range at one stage called Crystal Lip Balms. They used clear shear butter to give them a unique translucent quality.
As incredible as these products looked, they didn’t get the best reviews, so eos discontinued them after two years.
Luckily, eos does have some vegan cosmetics that are popular today. To save you some time, here are some of their best-sellers to choose from:
For a complete list of eos' vegan products, you can visit its website.
Vegan Alternatives to eos
Overall, eos has great vegan lotions and shaving creams. They have a clean track record and noteworthy transparency with their consumers. For such a successful brand, it's commendable.
But if you will not support a brand that isn't entirely vegan – eos might not be your first choice, especially if you’re looking for a high-quality vegan lip balm.
For 100% vegan cosmetic brands that have fantastic lip balms in the same price range, here are some similar alternatives to look at:Is eos Natural and Organic?
Did you know that eos goes through the largest supply of organic beeswax in the world?
In saying that, not all of this innovative brand’s products are 100% natural and organic. While it may have some top-rated natural ranges – its priority is to use safe and quality ingredients.
And after their 2016 lawsuit, we can understand why. We will discuss this in more detail further down.
Clean vs. Natural Ingredients
The term "natural" is not regulated for cosmetics and skincare. In other words, it doesn't hold one specific meaning.
Usually, it means a product is free of certain more toxic synthetic ingredients, including parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and more. But people also interpret "natural" to mean ingredients of immediate plant origin. eos combines these definitions to incorporate a bit of both.
Here's the thing – "natural" is not necessarily a good thing. Just because an ingredient is natural doesn't mean you should rub it on your skin.
Poison ivy is natural – but we wouldn’t recommend rolling in a field of that stuff!
All products use a certain amount of synthetic ingredients in their formulas, and eos is no exception – but it chooses to use clean synthetics.
If a synthetic ingredient is "clean," it means it is safe and non-toxic for us. Its purpose is to preserve the stability of a beauty formulation.
eos 2016 Class-Action Lawsuit
Most people assume that botanicals would be the last ingredients to cause allergic reactions, but this is simply not true. (Consider poison ivy again.)
And eos’ 2016 class-action lawsuit is also a great example of this.
The lawsuit claims that the eos lip balms can cause “devastating adverse allergic reactions” due to its botanical ingredients.
Most specifically, the use of nuts as an ingredient that is not clearly labeled on its packaging.
Customers alleged that their lips started to crack and blister while using the product.
Some of the other side effects experienced include rashes, dryness, bleeding, and loss of pigmentation.
Eos did come forward and apologize for what happened. It’s since made a concerted effort to evolve its ingredient lists and make them safer for everyone. This includes using clean synthetics and safer botanicals.
A few naturally-derived eos uses to enhance its cosmetics include:
Does eos Use Safe Ingredients?
According to Skin Safe, eos has a 91% allergen-free ranking for each product. These consistently clean formulas are a great indication of how seriously eos takes its safety.
It’s also often free of allergens such as nickel, top common allergy-causing preservatives, lanolin, gluten, antibiotics, MCI/MI, and soy.
Reading the ingredient list is crucial because while eos is entirely hypoallergenic, they are not 100% non-comedogenic, and they do not claim to be.
However, you can use some of its products if you struggle with these concerns, so make sure you buy what your skin needs.
It's also important to note that not all common allergens are harmful ingredients overall.
A common example is lanolin, which has many benefits to your skin too. Find out more here: Can Lanolin Be Cruelty-Free?
The EU/UK Have Stricter Ingredient Regulations
As a conscientious shopper, you must read up on any brand's ingredient list before you make a purchase – especially if you live within the United States.
This is because the FDA has only banned or restricted 11 harmful chemicals from cosmetics within the country. Europe and the UK, on the other hand, has banned 1,328!
Given eos is a US-based brand with strict ingredient policies – you don't need to worry too much.
However, with skincare and cosmetics, you want to avoid these ingredients:
eos is free of ALL these ingredients!
Are Cruelty-Free Ingredients Safe?
If you're worried about how safe it is to use cosmetics that are not tested on animals – please relax and take a sigh of relief.
There is no reason why cruelty-free products shouldn't be just as safe, if not safer, than anything tested on an animal.
Not only is it easy to test ingredients without using animals altogether, but there are so many pre-approved ingredients you can use to make cosmetics that there really is no need.
Here's more on the subject if you're interested: Are Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Safe?
Is eos Sustainable and Ethical?
eos is pro-sustainable and ethical business practices. It goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that consumers trust its values. This means that the brand:
It's no secret that the world has a huge waste problem, and cosmetic brands are only making it worse by using unsustainable packaging and harmful ingredients.
Some of the ways eos takes strong environmental accountability is by:
Final Thoughts
eos has undoubtedly established itself as the go-to lip balm brand for everyone, including those of us with ethics at the heart of our beauty regime.
Unfortunately, these famous lip balms are not vegan – so if you’re looking for a vegan lip product, then eos is not for you. However, there are a lot of perks you have to give the brand.
It has the golden standard of cruelty-free certification (Leaping Bunny), a wide vegan lotion and shaving cream range, a strong predisposition for natural and safe ingredients, and a clear environmental stance.
You can see why eos is winning hearts all over town.
However, if you feel strongly about only supporting 100% vegan brands, eos is not for you. Not to worry, you're sure to find a brand that fits on Cruelty Free Soul. Hop over to our search bar and start exploring.
